Patterns of material may be formed on a web-based substrate through the use of an aperture mask or stencil. The aperture mask is positioned between the web and a deposition source. Material from the deposition source is directed toward the substrate and passes through apertures of the mask, continuously forming a pattern on the web that corresponds to the pattern of the apertures.
Such patterns may be deposited on the web for various purposes. As one example, circuitry may be formed on the web by sequentially depositing materials through mask patterns to form circuit layers. Aperture masks may be used to form a wide variety of circuits and electronic devices, including discrete and integrated circuits, liquid crystal displays, organic light emitting diode displays, among others. Formation of small geometry circuit elements involves accurate alignment and position control of the web and the aperture mask. The present invention fulfills these and other needs, and offers other advantages over the prior art.